3 Rockets Fundamental Flaws That Were Exposed in Embarrassing Loss to Thunder
By Mark Powell
The Houston Rockets are fundamentally broken, and no amount of James Harden gifs or Russell Westbrook triple-double records can fix that. Houston bet on this bunch finally getting them over the Western Conference hump, especially without the Golden State behemoth, but that's just not going to be the case. In their latest embarrassing loss against the Thunder, which included getting outscored by 20 points in the fourth quarter, Houston was exposed yet again.
listen they can win their way out of it. it's always the remedy. but trading away the future for Russ. Morey controversy before season started. D'Antoni ball downloaded. massive blown leads. Harden back to Earth. how does this get fixed without a red wedding? i just dont know.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 21, 2020
3. Reliance on James Harden
Any smart franchise would rely on Harden, but it's overwhelming in Houston. For a team with so many supposed scorers, Harden going 9-of-29 from the field and 1-of-17 from three should not happen. The former MVP needs to know when to distribute, and when he's off, he just continues to chuck shots at the basket.
2. There's Only One Basketball
This always had the potential to go awry in Houston, especially with the pickup of Russell Westbrook. Against the Thunder, Harden and Westbrook combined for 53 shots. That's a high number, and especially with Harden struggling they needed another scorer to step up. Yet, the stars wouldn't give any of the Rockets supporting cast that opportunity.
1. Inability to Close Games
The Thunder outscored the Rockets 41-20 in the fourth quarter. That just can't happen, period. Yet, it's far from the first time this season Houston failed to show the intensity necessary to put an end to an upstart team's run. In this case, the Thunder were able to take advantage of the Rockets' lack of urgency, and it may cost them in the form of playoff seeding.